Forbidden
by MarinAllKarins
Summary: It's been a long time since The Gaang rescued the world from the Fire Nation, and Avatar Korra also contributed to save the world. The day of her passing and the birth of a new Avatar had caused a strange stir in the new world, allowing a young teenage girl to go 166 years back into the past. Will her actions change the future? Will she ever go home? Zuko x OC - R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own A:TLA or its characters!

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><p><strong>Chapter One:<strong>

_The Time Is Ripe_

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><p><span><strong>264 - AG<strong>

Mornings were always hectic in this family's household. How anyone manages to get sleep in that house is really a miracle.

"Honey, where's my coat?! I need my coat!"

"'Maaaaaaaaaa, Junpei wet the bed...again!"

"Somebody pranked me last night. I'm fucking twenty-two! I don't pee in the bed on fucking purpose!"

By the time, Mirai was already looking over herself in the mirror. Her hair was pulled into a low, over the shoulder ponytail that was tied halfway near the end by a black ribbon. Her fingers were combing through her fringe, trying their best to make them look perfect. Nearly everyone had left about the same time in the morning but that's because Mirai liked to leave early to go to Metro Koffee. Breakfast wasn't something the family shared, usually only her parents had breakfast together while her and her siblings were scrambling around to get themselves ready for work and school. The only person to really feel sorry for was her mother, who had to take care of people who were capable of taking care of themselves, especially in the morning.

Looking over her shoulder, she had mentally counted down before her mother had blew her lid. _'Five...four...three...two..._' The sound of a slow building growl had echoed throughout the house, '_One._'

"I don't have eight arms!" The thick and heavy Republic City accent flowed heavily in her voice, which made Mirai chuckle. "Junpei, I'm tired of washing your sheets. It was okay when you were two but not twenty years later! If you can't handle the warm water trick then you need to sleep with your eyes wide open!" Her mother was usually the sweet and calm one, but it didn't take much to push that woman's buttons.

"BUT MAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Her brother whined, wishing that his mother had taken his side and know that it was not something he had done on purpose. That's what he deserved for being a prick. Of course, Mirai was the reason why he wet the bed. That warm water trick had to be the best in the book. It was payback after he had the nerve to eat up her snacks in her face without an ounce of remorse. Nobody touches her Vanilla Hei Bai cookies. Fixing her uniform's ribbon-tie, she walked downstairs with her school bag in hand. Making her way towards the shoe rack to get her loafers, she had looked to her right to see her father with a newspaper in hand and with his trench coat rightfully on. On the table was a half eaten stack of pancakes and a hot cup of coffee.

"I'm leaving."

Her father had brought the newspaper down so that his eyes could see her. Have a good day at school, sweetheart." He hummed, which she had given a half smile to him. Just the other day they had gotten in a stupid argument over her career choices but at least he was trying to get over it. Once her loafers were completely on, she jumped on the lower-level floor and went out the door. She immediately jogging towards Metro Koffee. She needed coffee almost as heavily as an addict needed their fix. Like hell was running going to help wake her up. She could sleep and run if she wanted, but who the hell wants to do that? It did sound comfortable, and it was an exercise! Still, that was just bad news all way 'round.

But there was more bad news to be had, like the fact she was on her way to school. For one thing, Mirai hated school. It felt tedious and boring, which was how some people felt when school was the only excitement in their lives. Mirai had a very plain lifestyle with a very plain family. A father, a mother, an older brother, a little brother, and a baby sister. Oh yeah, a dog named Yuki. He was quite the spirited dog, seemingly finding fun just by looking at someone. Mirai wished she was easily entertained and excited like that too.

It felt odd to feel that way when they lived in a world of bending; you know, being able to control an element and what not. People didn't have much usage for it since the world was mostly at peace, not like it was back in the days where Avatars weren't just a political figure. Avatars really had no use now, but they were just people that were highly respected and honored. They made the world feel safe should there ever be trouble.

"Breaking news!" A pair of blue eyes looked towards the screen, blinking a few times as her hands gripped onto her briefcase-shaped school bag with one hand while the other held her drink. She was drinking her Iced Caramel Latte with whip cream and sugar as she was watching the news at a local Electronics store that had a large t.v. display at the windows. "The new Avatar has been born! Avatar Korra, who had turned just 111-years-old weeks ago, sadly, has now passed. Where is the new Avatar? We have yet to find out, but we know it'll be born as an Earthbender! Sad yet exciting news, isn't it? There'll be more information during the nine o'clock news, so stayed tuned."

"That's a shame," Mirai sighed, "Avatar Korra was pretty awesome."

"Yeah, she was pretty badass!" Spoke up Li-hua, a long time friend of Mirai. They usually met up in Metro Koffee, walking to school together while gossiping about this and that. "I figured she would live way longer than this though, but I guess she feels kinda lonely since nearly all her friends and some of her family passed away."

"Now she can be with them." Mirai sighed.

"Sad but true." Li-hua nodded, "It's odd how today will be a day of mourning and celebrations, but how are they gonna find the new Avatar kid? Like, what if he's not even born in the Earth Kingdom?"

"They'll find a way, they always do." Mirai decided to drop the subject, "We need to worry about not being late for school!"

Both of them went off in a sprint, and boy were they happy that they weren't too much far away from the school. They had managed to slip through the gates that were about to close and made their way inside of the building. After changing into their school shoes, they went to room 3-A, their home room, where their teacher wasn't enthused by their almost lateness.

The bell had rang as soon as they step foot inside, letting them release a sigh as they went to their usual seats. "Now that everyone is in their seats, let's start class."

Mirai sighed, not really up to history lessons. It was exciting to know how laws and how the world came to be for what it was today, but she was a little too preoccupied with other things. Like, what club she was going to join before they were all full. She needed club credits. Also, how was she going to give Takara valentines chocolates without making a complete fool of herself? Speaking of Takara, her eyes looked away from the history textbook and went to the white-haired boy that was sitting in the middle of class.

Takara was quite popular because of his looks and his cool personality. He was much like his element: water; calm as his voice was soothing. His anger came in waves but most people didn't know since he kept himself composed most of the time. He was also quite the sportsmen.

"Can anyone tell me what happened in 100 AG, the first day of the eighth month?" Ensei asked, looking around his students. He had caught Mirai's eyes looking concentrated on something else instead of the lesson beforehand. Seeing as she had time to daze at whatever she was looking at, she must've been smart enough to know the answer. "Mirai." He called her name and immediately she straightened up, looking at him like a Catdeer in headlights. "Do you know the answer?"

"O-Oh!" She stuttered, biting down on her bottom lip as most of the class looked at her. "First day of the eighth month? Summer, right? Yeah, uhm, oh! The Invasion of the Fire Nation! It's the day that Avatar Aang and many of his allies around the world attacked the Fire Nation."

Ensei smiled and nodded, "That is correct." He looked down at his text book, letting Mirai sigh in relief as he continued on, "That battle was considered a failure due to the fact that Fire Lord Ozai already knew of the attack and was hidden away in a secret bunker of the Fire Nation palace."

"Has it ever been documented of who told him?" One student asked curiously, "I mean, it is assumed that Princess Azula had known but is that exactly true?"

The teacher hummed, closing his eyes briefly. "I have seen no other theories proving it wasn't Princess Azula. It safely assumed that it was her due to her dressing up as a Kyoshi warrior with her then comrades and they were told the information because they had the Earth King and his staff fooled."

Mirai decided to write in her notebook before Mr. Ensei had called her out again. You'd figure after having a father such as Kai, a renowned airbender, he would be a little more outgoing and kind but he was stiff as a board when he taught class. Outside of work? Nobody had the slightest clue how he was.

"Psst!" Her right ear twitched upon hearing the sound, her eyes slightly looking to the right to see the boy next to her trying to seek her attention. "Mirai, hey, psst!"

She didn't want to get called out again or get in trouble, but he was going to keep bothering her if she never answered him. "What Liang? What do you want?" Mirai questioned in a hushed voice, trying not to let Mr. Ensei hear her.

"Do you have an extra pencil I can borrow? Mines kinda…" He revealed what was "left" of the pencil. He must've had the thing for a whole month seeing how short it was from the constant sharpening. Feeling obligated to help him, she reached in her bookbag and pulled out an orange, mechanical pencil. Placing it on his desk, she immediately adjusted herself in her seat and paid back attention to taking notes. "Thanks Mirai, you're a lifesaver."

Well, that was pretty nice to hear. Smiling just a bit, her pencil glided across the page of the notebook as she was outlining Avatar Aang's world changing year. She couldn't imagine what it was even like to learn all the elements in one year and stopped Fire Lord Ozai from obtaining the power of Sozin's comet. It's probably the most stressful thing a twelve-year-old kid could go through and yet, here she was worried about petty things like school clubs and boys.

Soon the class was dismissed and she gathered her things, placing them all back in her bag. The next class was probably going to be sleep inducing, she hated the History of Bending. Especially since she, a nonbender, with a whole bending family could not fathom why she had to take the course just so it can be shoved in her face that she was bending-less.

"Hey, are you alright, Mirai? You're lookin' pretty bummed out." Her eyes glanced towards Takara, which she hadn't noticed was the one speaking to her. Her eyes were too busy glued to the floor as her feet was less than wanting to take a step towards her next class.

She hummed solemnly, "Yeah, I'm pretty bummed—" Mirai stopped, now fully recognizing the voice and the person who was standing in front of her. Her head slowly tilted back to look up at the tall boy, who was blinking several times as her expression shifted rather quickly. "Ta-Takara!?"

He wasn't sure why she seemed so surprised or why she got so animated whenever he was was around. He smirked, his head slightly tilted. "What's gotten ya down?"

Why was he so curious? Did he care? _'Oh my spirits! Is he worried about me? Ha, how could he be worried about me? I mean, well, I guess he would worry about the lesser beings.'_ Mirai thought to herself, her eyes steadying drinking up his handsome features before she shook her head wildly to re-organize her thoughts. "Oh, well, you know… I'm a non-bender, so I kind of hate the History of Bending, I mean… It's not like I hate benders or anything like that, but I wish I could bend too! Just don't have it in my genes though."

At least he gave an understanding nod, which relaxed her some. He even placed his large hand atop of her head in a gentle yet comforting head pat, "It's okay, y'know, to be upset about it. It's kind of like they are reminding you that you're not a bender. I can see why you would hate it."

"Thanks, at least someone understands." Of course he would understand, at least that's what Mirai thought. Takara was perfect in every aspect, at least in her eyes.

"We better hurry up before we're late, I have that class with you too. Heh, now that I think about it, I always wondered why you looked so uncomfortable in class." He stated, which made a shade of red flourish on her face. He observed her in class? That meant that he always knew they were in the same class together.

Her lips parted but she couldn't speak so instead, she gave him a nod and walked alongside him. The next class would be taught by Mr. Ren. When they made it to class, Mirai plopped down in her usual seat and sighed. It was going to be a long class.

**&& Timeskip &&**

"I'm totally drained…" said Mirai to Li-hua as both of them were exiting the front entrance of the school with the rest of their peers, "It felt like today was unreasonably long, and I swore Mr. Ren's class was longer than it had ever been before."

Li-hua smiled, shaking her head. "You must really hate that class, huh? In fact, do you even have a subject you like? You sound like you hate school, period."

"I guess Avatar History isn't so bad, I mean… I'm pretty good at memorizing things like that." Now that she thought about it, she could say that subject was her strong suit. "I also like lunch, where I can talk to my friends and eat."

"Lunch is not a school subject, don't even try to make it one." Her friend laughed as she was caught while Li-hua kept a straight yet teasing face. "You're also pretty good at GYM too."

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she thought about her athleticism, "Well… I am on the softball team, you know." She smirked, "And a star player at that!"

The girl beside her placed her hand over her mouth, "Oh my Agni, how could I forget! Haha, you are."

"That's probably because someone missed my last game! Too busy playing the flute to remember your own friend's knockout game." If Li-hua thought Mirai forgot about that then she had another thought coming.

"Hehehe, sorry. It was a competition though, I had to miss the game. I'll go to the next one, I promise but it'll be a competition, right?" She asked, hoping she got her memory correct.

Nodding, Mirai placed her arms behind her head. "That's right."

"You know, your appearance and your personality don't match at all." Li-hua commented, "But I guess that's… what adds to your personality."

Unsure to take that as an insult or compliment, Mirai remained silent and reflected on her words. Everyone mentioned her soft features, her appearance more geared to a shy and quiet girl while Mirai, herself, was described as cat-like: playful, mysterious yet mischievous while her friends and family saw her as hotheaded, blunt, and animated.

Did she really not act as she looked? Did it really make her look bad? How did Takara feel about it? Was he put off by it?

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention." Mirai's cobalt blue eyes looked towards Li-hua's green ones, which were staring at the cellphone in her hand. "That old shrine that all of us used to hang at is going to be demolished. There gonna put a playground up there or somethin' they say shrines are out of style and people rarely go to it."

"Huh?! But, I love that place!" Mirai whined, "Also, everyone goes there for holidays!"

"Not for the past couple of years, they've been going to Roku shrine more often due to it is more spacious unlike Ryuu shrine."

It still hurt to hear it, but she couldn't really see why it was going to be taken down. It was true, even she went to Roku shrine than Ryuu shrine the past Christmas' and other festivities.

Li-hua placed a hand on Mirai's back in a means to comfort her, "Don't worry. You can always visit until it is demolished. We should all get together and tell it goodbye."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty fun." The blue-eyed girl felt just a bit happier that they would get some closure.

"How about today? I'll let the others know and we'll all meet up there, huh?" The idea sounded pretty good, and she wanted to at least stay out for today. Her brother probably realized she was the one who pranked him and not Yuya.

Smiling, she nodded. "Alright, I'll see you guys there. Make sure to invite Takara, alright? I think it's about time that I confess to him."

"Wait, what?!" Li-hua immediately walked in front of Mirai, eyes wide. "You're going to confess to Takara?! What made you think of doing that? And why now?!"

Placing her hand behind her head, she rubbed the back of it as she stuck her tongue out halfway before giving an explanation. "Well, I've liked him for a long time. I've liked the guy since the first year of middle school. Why not now? How long should I keep waiting? We're going to be seniors soon and I'd like to spend my last year of school with the guy I like and if he rejects me, well, I can move on. It's that simple."

It did occur to Mirai that she could be rejected, and it was something that she believed would happen. Takara was popular, handsome, a bender, and wanted by nearly every girl and even some boys by the school. How could she compete? How could she, Mirai, deem herself better than all his pursuers when she wasn't all too much confident in her looks and popularity alone? She didn't want to believe Takara as being shallow, she just thought that he deserved someone equal as him.

The determination on her face was recognizable, and Li-hua knew more than anyone that went Mirai made that face that there was no stopping her. "Well, I'll tell Takara to go earlier than everyone else and so you should try to be early too. Let's all get there before five, okay?"

"Okay!" Mirai then ran ahead, wanting to hurry her way home. If she was going to confess then she was going to do it with style.

Upon reaching her home, she nearly struggle with putting the keys in the door before practically tripping her way inside. "Well, welcome home, Mirai." Her eyes looked up to see her mother, holding her baby sister in her arms.

"Sorry, mom, but I'm in a hurry. Li-hua and I are gonna go with some of our friends to Ryuu shrine before it gets torn down." She picked herself up, throwing her shoes quickly to the side of the lower before stepping up the single step and running upstairs.

"Then what's the rush?" Mirai's mother questioned from downstairs, "You usually take your time about meeting up with them there."

Mirai threw her uniform vest and then blouse across her room floor, struggling with unbuttoning her skirt. "Someone I like is going to be there, and I'm going to tell him my feelings."

In a way, she was glad she could openly talked to her mother about these type of things. Her mother was more so a friend to her most days and a mother to her the next. Her advice was well acknowledged and appreciated, "Oh, so it's for a boy, huh?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to stop being lazy and actually do something about it." Slipping on a blue powder, flowing dress that reached her mid-calves, she searched for a white cardigan that would go on top of it. Mirai looked to the mirror and spun around, nodding in approval before combing through her fringe to make sure that it didn't get messy. "There, I think this is pretty simple and cute."

Whizzing down the steps after picking out her magenta purse with her cellphone, house keys, and other daily necessities, she walked past her mother and baby sister. "I'll be back by early evening." She promised, "And I'll tell you all about it when I come back."

Smiling, her mother nodded. "Go get 'em, tigerdillo! You've got a line of hardcore detectives in your families; pure bred winners!"

If that was supposed to be some sort of motivational speech, it surely didn't help. "Yeaaah, I can always investigate why I got rejected. Let me go get my briefcase and magnifying , and let's not forget the lie detector." She said rather shifty-eyed before exiting out of her home and going down the street towards Ryuu shrine.

As she had hoped, Mirai was the first one there. "Thank goodness." Her heart could finally calm down and she could make a wish at the shrine to give her some boost of courage or luck but as soon as she found some money in her pocket, she swore she heard something.

"Takara!" Mirai stiffened, blinking twice. _'That sounds a lot like Li-hua…'_ Walking around the shrine, she looked towards the torii gates in the back to see Li-hua and Takara standing there, the autumn leaves of brilliant red and orange falling around their heads and dancing in the current breeze that blew softly. Unsure of whether to reveal herself or not, Mirai stood and watched the scene. "I like you, I've always liked you."

Mirai stiffened upon the confession, her eyes widening and her lips parted. She tried her best to hold her breath and to keep quiet. For what? Why did she want torture herself with the fact that her friend was confessing to someone she liked? And said friend knew it.

"Li-hua…" Even though that name became the most vile sounding thing in the Mirai's world right now, she couldn't help but think the way he said her name was beautiful. It was euphonious just to hear him speak her name or any word. It only made her realize just how deep her feelings were and how much she hated the situation she was in now.

Her hands curled into fists, grabbing handfuls of her dressed as she clenched her teeth. Her head lowering as she tried to fight the tears that were welling up in her eyes, blurring her vision so that she could barely see the concrete pathway of the shrine. All she could see was blurred shades of gray, red, and orange. _'...Why? Why is this happening?'_ Li-hua knew, but did she… Did she not even care of her feelings or her at all? Was Li-hua even her friend?

"Mirai…" Her heart stopped suddenly, clenching as he he said her name. Li-hua gasped and looked towards her, hand over her mouth. Why was she so surprised? Was it an act or did she truly not expect to see Mirai watch this betrayal in motion?

Standing up straight, she forced a smile on her face but even so, large droplets of tears spilled down her eyes and down her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come here so early?" Her voice was filled with forced happiness, "My allergies are acting up pretty badly too. I'll… wait until you two are done here and we can all say goodbye…" Her voice wavered, shaking as she tried to keep her composure.

And then,

she cracked.

A soft cry escaped her through, her hand covering her mouth to muffle the sound. Takara took a step forward, blue eyes confused by her crying. "Mirai!"

Just hearing him call her name only sent senbons through her chest. It was slow but extremely painful, she couldn't bear to hear any of it anymore. "D-Don't!" She managed to choke out, "Don't call my name! I'm right here, idiot. I'm fine! I told you," she sniffled and tried to wipe her tears with her arms, "it's just…" Sighing, she had shook her head. "My allergies!"

The feeling to run was more than overwhelming. Her legs even quivered, wanting to run far away from where she was and someplace else. She wanted to escape them, to escape Takara's gaze. If he called her name again, Mirai didn't feel like she could handle it. All he would do is give her sympathy and she would have to tell him the truth. She would have to tell him that she was crying because she harbored feelings for him, wanting to be with him as Li-hua had.

It was clear, at least to her, that Takara had chosen Li-hua over her. What was the point in staying around for a rejection now? Her confidence was completely shattered. There was no need for her to stand there and face it, at least now right now.

"I'm… I forgot something at home." Mirai took a few steps back, "I'll… I'll be back later!" She immediately started to run, turning around and running to Agni knows where. Wherever that was far from here would suffice. Mirai couldn't see them, either one of them right now or else she'd cry like a stupid child._ 'Running away from my problems… I still do that?'_ The thought ran clear through her mind, _'I'm such an idiot…'_ She tried to convince herself, wiping any tears that pooled at the corner of her eyes.

The first place she thought was good to hide was inside the shrine since they thought she would probably go home. She opened the large doors and closed it behind her quietly, holding onto the ringlet door handles tightly before loosening her grip, letting her hands fall to her sides.

Turning away from the door, she looked at the large, gold-plated statue of a dragon that hung upon the center and the small well with it's white rope and bell behind it. Sniffing here and there, wiping a few tears that still streamed, she walked towards it. "Should I make a wish to turn back time so that I never saw that?" questioned Mirai to herself, "Or should I just wish to disappear so I didn't have to deal with all of this? No, that's just the cowards way…"

Searching in her purse, she pulled out one, gold yuan and placed it in the well. Pulling the white rope, the bells swayed as she quietly gave her wish. 'I wish to be far away from here...' It was a silly wish in her eyes but she knew that she would have to deal with this one day soon but she didn't want to. Mirai just couldn't handle this head on or act as if she wasn't affected by any of it. Still, it was just a wish… A nice, peaceful wish.

"Mirai."

Her eyes became wide as she turned around to see Takara, somewhat out of breath. "Please Takara, I just want to be alone right now."

"But we need to talk." The boy insisted, not taking no for an answer. She shook her head and attempted to take a step back just to meet the well. "Just for a minute…"

"Please, just leave me—" After attempting escape, she felt herself lose balance and fall backwards into the well. A loud scream escaped her, her hands moving upward to try to fight her back to the top. In the midst before seeing a blinding white light, she saw Takara's screaming her name from the lip of the well and then soon… everything became black.

**98 - AG**

The whole journey felt meaningless other than making him felt restless. His hope would fade in and out, only going gargantuan in size in the morning when he woke up from slumber just to become as small as a shattered piece of glass by moonlight. Sometimes the whole journey felt fruitless but it was the only thing he could do. It was something he had to do because everything relied on this journey. His hands gripped onto the railing of the deck, his eyes looking at the vast ocean that he was constantly surrounded by. Every day felt the same for the past two years.

"Prince Zuko." The owner of the voice that he knew all his life had called out to him, craving for his attention at the moment. All the boy wanted to do was reflect at the moment, but his uncle hated to see him brood.

"Yes, Uncle?" He spoke, accepting the invitation of conversation.

Clearing his throat, the older man began to speak with much hesitancy. "There is a food shortage and it would be wise to stop at the nearest town and gather up supplies."

Every time he suggested such ideas, he would be met by the over-exaggerated anger of his young nephew. Zuko thought it was a waste of time but he understood the necessity of it. Food was a necessity, and there were probably other small yet important things needed but he felt as if they had just restock not too long ago. So where did everything go?

He proved to keep in his anger this time, pinching the bridge of his nose to calm his nerves instead. "Whatever, tell the Captain to head to the nearest harbor."

Iroh was pleased to not face the burning wrath of Zuko's temper. He gave a quiet nod and quickly went inside the ship.

"...It feels like it's never going to end." He mumbled under his breath, sighing as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. All he could do was rely on the fact that his father gave him this task, being kind enough to let him find a way to restore his honor.

"Prince Zuko." Looking over his shoulder, he looked at the helmsman that called him and was in a neat bow.

"Yes Helmsman?" It felt like everyone wanted to bother him today. Zuko just wanted a little bit of time to think, but he should've done it in his quarters than make himself so easily available.

The helmsman stood straight upon acknowledgment, "The crew said they had seen something strange falling from the sky. We're not sure what it was, it was a bit too far our own telescopes."

Amber eyes had grown large upon receiving the news, "Falling from the sky? Are you sure?!" He questioned, wanting to believe that it was undoubtedly the Avatar. "Which direction did you see it? We must go there immediately."

The helmsman bowed and went off to do his duties after assuring the prince of the information that he himself seen and obtained. Iroh had made his way to Zuko, seeing the commotion as his nephew was pacing excited. "What's going on?"

"Great news Uncle! The helmsman said they have seen what looked to be a person falling from the sky, and who else could fall from the sky? The Avatar!"

Iroh appeared perplexed, stroking his beard. "How did the Avatar get into the sky? Isn't that a bit strange?" He hummed, not intentionally disproving what was seen and said but trying to figure out why the Avatar would so visibly be in the sky. Also, like everyone else, he believed the Avatar cycle to be ended and that the man was dead.

Annoyed by his uncle's doubt, Zuko stood firm to his beliefs. "What do you mean? He could've gone into the Avatar State! He's also an airbender! His element is air, and I'm sure they have some abilities that can make them ascend into the air!"

The boy did have a point and Iroh did have any reason to argue with him. "I see, but something just doesn't sit right with me. I don't want you to get your hopes up, Zuko."

"I know it's him, Uncle. It just has to be. There's no way that it's not." No, there was no changing Zuko now. His mind was fixated on that being the only truth and that he found the Avatar and that he must capture him. There was no turning back from this.

The ship had done a slow turn, going into the direction of the Earth Kingdom that was not too far behind.

"... After all these years, I'll finally get to go home."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own A:TLA or its characters!  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> There's a lot of surprises in store that I cannot say from what I read in the reviews.  
>There will be more to Mirai then meets the eye if that doesn't spoil anything. u w u<p>

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><p><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>

_The Encounter_

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><p>Voices. So many voices. The words that the voices spoke weren't coherent, it sounded like someone speaking underwater it. At times, Mirai could see blurred images of faces looking down at her, but they would move away and things would just become dark all over again. Just the constant fading in and out of consciousness, but what she could recall was her dreams. They weren't pleasant; the dreams she kept having. The feeling of falling, nothing to grab onto to stop Mirai and before she would finally reach the ground, she would wake up or force herself to wake. She just wasn't strong enough to stay awoke.<p>

But today, things gradually started to become more clearer and Mirai became more aware during her short times of consciousness. She immediately knew that she was in a room, but this room was not her own or the slightest bit of familiar to her. She also felt pressure bandages on on her ribs and ankle, and also that her shoulder was put back into place. The room was rather extravagant and entirely old fashion Earth Kingdom. Gingerly, Mirai rose from the bed and sat up, wondering where exactly she was.

"Where… am I…" Her throat felt raw and she was entirely parched. Water, she needed it badly. Sitting at the edge of the bed, Mirai slowly got on her feet and shuffled her way towards the door. Before she could reach it, the door had already opened and revealed a petite woman with beautiful emerald green eyes. Mirai was captivated by her beauty but noticed her hairstyle and clothing. It looked straight from the past; the Eon'jeun Meori really took the cake.

"You're awake!" The woman's cheerful tone filled the room as she rushed over the girl, "You shouldn't move so much."

Mirai nodded, knowing that her injuries wouldn't allow her to even do but so much but she had to figure out what was going on here. First things first though, she needed water. "Can…" She cleared her throat, "I have something to drink?"

"Oh, of course!" After giving a smile, the woman scurried towards the door and into the hall. "Servants, please give me a glass of lemon water."

Lemon water? Mirai rose a brow, wondering how that was supposed to taste? The woman looked back towards her, giving her a smile as if to ease the odd tension.

It didn't take long before a young girl with a tray of ice water with a slice of lemon sitting on the rim of it. The woman picked the glass up and handed it to her, "I should've realized you would be thirsty."

"It's fine…" Mirai took a sip, surprisingly surprised how tasty water was. Mirai wasn't fond of water that much, but she drunk it due to water was important and not just that, Republic City's water wasn't exactly the best. Speaking of which, if this wasn't Republic City's water then… what was this? "Excuse me," she spoke much clearer now that she finally cooled down the rawness in her throat, "can you tell me where I am."

"You're in Gaoling." said the woman, which made Mirai choke on her water. She repeatedly hit her chest with her fist.

"Gaoling?!" Mirai yelled in horror, "How did I get here? I'm from Republic City."

"Republic…City?" Knowing very well that something wasn't right, Mirai stood from the bed. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go home. I don't know how I'm gonna get there, I guess I'll have to take a plane even though I don't have enough money for a flight. Where's the nearest airport?"

Never in her life had seen been looked at as if she was talking completely gibberish. The expression on the woman's face of complete confusion, "Maybe you need more sleep. What is an airport? And flight, well, are you an airbender? Well, that's impossible... Even they did stay in the sky for very long."

"Wait," the teenager shook her head, "what do you mean what is an airport? How can you not know what an airport is?"

"…There are seaports, but I have never heard of an airport." Nothing was making sense. Her hand rested on her head as she tried to get her thoughts in order. What's going on? She kept trying to find the answer, but she couldn't.

Then she finally came to a conclusion, a crazy one but the only thing that made sense. "Okay, you never heard of a airport and you obviously don't know Republic City…" She turned to the woman, "This is the set of a drama or movie, right?"

"Drama… moovie?" Mirai sighed, "W-What are those?"

"Look, lady, I know you're trying to stay in character but I really, really have to go home. I can't be here, I have some unfinished business." Who was to say she was actually in Gaoling anyway? Most movies don't film in the exact location because they have sets build where olden time backgrounds and buildings were to make it more realistic.

Mirai was set that this was a drama or movie, none of this could actually be real to her. "Okay, well, since you're not going to tell me anything then that means I have to ask the people outside. I should find the director or something... But first," she bowed slightly, "thank you for your hospitality."

Leaving the room, she tried to find the entrance of the estate by asking any of the servants that were around. Finally making her way out, she was quite baffled how really olden day the place looked. "Wow, they really went all out... This might be a old town." She nodded, "But where's the lights and camera men? Spirits, where's the director?"

Deciding to venture further into the town, she noticed children running around the odd clothes that her savior wore, which made sense if this was a movie or drama set. Walking alongside side the stands in the market, "Wow, all of this seems real... Even the air feels a bit different.

_'Mm, I wonder what actor is going to be starring in this movie? Probably Luli, she's a talent actress or maybe Jun! He's really talented, and handsome.'_ She thought as people constantly turned their heads to look at her. She suspected it was because of her clothing, which made her feel a bit sheepish. _'Everyone's dressed up and I'm wearing this.'_ Mirai looked down at her clothes, "Maybe I should go back to that lady's house and ask for some clothes..."

Looking back at the estate she came from, she looked at the people that were staring at her. Even kids ran up to her checking out her shoes and clothes, pulling on her dress. "H-Hey! Watch it!" She tried to move from them but they followed her steps. "Look, don't pull on my clothes."

"Lady, why do you have such weird clothes?" Okay, now these kids should've known better. Kids their age had their own cellphones and styled themselves where she was from.

Raising a brow, she shook her head. "Okay kids, cut the act. You guys know more than me that my clothes are pretty normal."

"Uhh... no they're not." A boy spoke up, making her lightly bite the inside of her cheek in frustration.

"Yeah, and what's that on your shoulder? It looks like a satchel." A satchel?! Who even said satchel anymore.

Rubbing her temples, Mirai let out a long sigh. "Guys, it's 264 AG, nobody says satchel anymore."

"264?! Lady, are you crazy?!" The kids seem to say in a unison, startling her.

Mirai blinked twice, "What do you mean I'm crazy! It is!"

"Uh, no it's not." One boy said matter-of-factly, "It's 98 AG; Year of the Horse."

Her eyes widened, looking at them as if they spoke another language. As if she didn't know not one word he said. Did this kid just say 98 AG?! "98?! 9…8?!" Placing her hands on her head, she shook her head. "No way, there's no way."

The kids nodded, "Are you_..._ crazy?" They asked in an oddly polite yet curious manner, "Everybody knows that."

_'They're just pulling your leg Mirai, they're in character and they are playing a prank. There's no way it's 98 AG.'_ Convincing herself was the only thought process she could come up with during her overwhelming shock.

"Are you… sure you don't need some more rest?" Oh, she was clearly awake. She knew she was since she pinched her arm three times and they've hurt successfully each time. How did she get here? How did she go back?! Nothing made sense at all.

"Maybe you should go home and take a nap." One little girl said, "Mommy always says I talk silly when I'm sleepy."

_'Okay, so, if it's not a drama then I must be dreaming. I must be dreaming that I went into the past, that's it. I mean... That's the most logical thing, right?'_ Seeing as how they kept looking at her strangely and more and more did their actual shock and expression look genuine, she was starting to believe that all of this was getting a little too real. "Yeah, I should take a nap... I'm a bit tired."

Reaching in her purse, she thought she had some fire gummies but realized she didn't have any. "I thought I had some snacks but... I don't, sorry guys. Thanks for the help though."

"No problem, lady." Their little feet circled around her and left as they went off to probably find something else that piqued their curiosity. Mirai decided to head back to the woman's estate, seeing how she had no place to go and her thoughts weren't in order.

_'What's going on…? Am I really dreaming? I mean, I punched myself several times so I was so sure I was awake…Did I… really go back in time?'_Walking towards the gates of the woman's estate, she saw the woman she had met earlier standing at the front gates, seemingly worried. _'Was she waiting for me?'_

The woman looked to her right to see Mirai's slowly trudging herself towards here. "There you are! Are you alright?"

Her nod was slow but assuring, the woman smiling to know the teenage girl was in good health. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, I'm still confused about everything." Mirai admitted, "But I think I might know something."

'Well..." With a hand place on her back as the woman escorted her back inside, Mirai closed her eyes and sighed. "Let's talk about it over a nice cup of tea."

**ooo**

Food in this era was familiar to her, but there was many more cuisine in her time, especially in Republic City due to the strong, diverse cultures. Mirai was used to Earth Kingdom dishes anyway since her father was from the Earth Kingdom and was a good enough cook so that his food was edible and flavorful. "This looks great. You must be really rich to live in a place like this and have chefs to cook all of this."

Her eyes looked around the dining room, amazed by the beautiful paintings that hung on the wall. It was large and spacious for a dining room too, which made her realize just how small her own home was.

In front of her was a cup of what smelled to be jasmine tea that a servant had poured for her, "You see…I'm from the future."

"The… future?" How could Mirai believe she could convince this woman this? Who would believe it? Mirai wouldn't believe it herself if someone told her that, but she had to convince the woman this. She had to figure out how it was even possible for her to go a hundred and so years in the past.

Mirai nodded, "Where I'm from…It's 264 AG—"

"What?"

Right, maybe she should've approached the situation a bit differently. "Going through her purse, she pulled out her cellphone. It seemed to be working, surprisingly, and she turned it on. "No signal…" She sighed but stood from her seat and walked towards the woman, "See, this is a cellphone? It allows you to call and talk to other people. Also, you can message someone and it'll get them in a jiffy; we don't use letters and birds in the future."

The woman reached for the phone, holding it. "Wow…" Her eyes was wide in amazement as she tapped at the screen hesitantly, jumping when the screen lit up and revealed the many apps that Mirai had on her phone. Her eyes then observed the picture of a boy that was the girl's wallpaper. "Who is the boy? Is he trapped in the phone?"

"A boy?" Mirai took the phone from the woman's hand, her eyes softening upon the picture of someone that seemed quite familiar to her. "I don't know who he is, but it's a picture." Raising the phone, she turned the camera on her phone and took a picture, the flashing light startled the woman, who jumped and Mirai showed her the picture.

"H-How am I in the phone?" The woman questioned, pressing the screen to see if anything would happen.

Mirai chuckled at her childish amusement, "It's like a painting but without an artist but technology." It was hard to explain, but she tried.

"You really are from the future." At least she wouldn't be deemed as crazy. Mirai then turned her phone off, wanting to save battery. She couldn't call or message anyone due to no signal and she doubt she would ever find signal where there was no electricity or outlets anywhere. She went back to her seat, sighing as she realized the severity of her situation.

"Oh, I never told you my name." The woman spoke up, "My name is Xiang."

"Nice to meet you, Xiang." She smiled, "My name is Mirai."

"Oh, what a pretty name. I've never heard it before." Xiang said with a smile.

Mirai shrugged, "It's pretty common where I'm from."

"If you have no place to stay then you can stay here." Xiang spoke up, "It gets lonely around here due to the fact my husband is away in war and I don't have any children."

That's right, this was the time of the 100 year war. Mirai's expression saddened but she then smiled, "I don't have anywhere to go and so I don't mind staying here with you, Lady Xiang."

"Just call me Xiang." Her hands were held by the woman who was excited to hear the news that Mirai would stay. Maybe then she could find a way to go back to her time if she sat down and think about it. She could barely remember how she got here in the first place

"My husband is a General, that's why I'm here alone. He's in Omashu, strengthening the other soldiers." She explained as she smiled in thought, eating some of the pan-fried noodles.

Looking up in thought, Mirai wondered if she knew who Xiang's husband was. Her memory was still a bit hazy and the more she thought, the headaches came back. But, it shouldn't hurt to remember a little bit of history. "Uh…" She hummed, "Is your husband named… Mm, trying to remember, Fong?"

Xiang froze in her seat, her eyes wide and looking at her. "Why yes it is!" She exclaimed happily, "You really are from the future!"

"Heh," Mirai rubbed the back of her head, "I remember a few things in history." She nodded, "It was one of my strong suits back in my time. But yes, if I remember correctly then you're already pregnant with your first child."

"What? I am already pregnant." Xiang blinked several times, "B-But…"

"He left about three weeks ago, right?" She explained, "He wrote about how the last time he saw you before you found out of your pregnancy, he hoped for a first born. He says that's the time, well, you know… It was…"

"Boy or girl?!" Xiang was wildly excited, which Mirai could understand.

"I believe your first born was a… boy, yes. His name is Tai. The second will be a girl, her name will be Zhen, she'll become famous later or on."

Xiang clapped her hands happily, "I'm so happy to have found you, Mirai. This is the best news I have heard in a while. I shall schedule an appointment with my doctor to see how the baby is and I'll have to write Fong a letter, and prepare a nursery and maternity."

Maybe it wasn't a good thing to keep telling Xiang about the future. She didn't want to ruin anything or not let Xiang find out the surprises of her future. Mirai decided that was all she should tell her before she changed the future. Picking up the chopsticks, she ate some of the white rice and pan-fried noodles. It tasted a bit spicy but nothing that she couldn't handle.

"Lady Xiang," a servant came in, "your sister has invited you to a party party"

"Ah yes, we have them every year. I shall be attending." She nodded happily as the servant left to send an acceptance to the invitation. "Would you like to come with me, Mirai?"

The girl looked up from her bowl and shrugged, "I have nothing else to do and I have no way of figuring out how to get home and so… I guess it'll be nice to see how life in this time from my own eyes."

Clapping her hands, a few servants came flooding into the room. "Please prepare Mirai for tomorrow evening."

"Yes, Lady Xiang."

**&& Zuko &&**

Arguing with his nephew if the helmsman really saw the Avatar wasn't going to be pleasant, Iroh knew that and so he remained silent as they walked across along the pathway with a few helmsman with him. The others were to guard their ship at the seaport. "This is a pretty long walk, Prince Zuko." His uncle said, growing rather tired. "We should've brought the war rhinos."

"You will get your rest, Uncle. We don't know for sure which one is the Avatar and that is why we must go undercover. There's too many places for him to hide." His nephew explained, which didn't help his uncle feel any less tired but he was happy that they would rest.

"Ah, I see. That is a smart tactic." He nodded, "I was almost afraid you would rush head on."

Zuko didn't take it as an insult. His first instinctive was to rush head on and just capture the Avatar but there were too many reasons why that wouldn't work and so he had to map out a plan. "We're almost there. There are rumors of them falling in Gaoling."

"Let's hope these rumors are true, I am reaching my limit." Every now and then, Iroh would wipe the sweat from his brow and fan himself. Zuko wasn't sure if he was just overreacting or actually tired.

As they continued forward, his amber eyes observed two women walking ahead of them. "Did you hear about the person that fell from the sky?"

His ears perked upon their conversation, "Yes! I heard they are staying at General Fong and Lady Xiang's estate. They'll be attending that ball that the rich people throw every year."

"Uncle, we'll be attending a ball." Iroh appeared perplexed, unsure of what his nephew was speaking about. He was too busy lost in his own thoughts to eavesdrop in the women's conversation.

"A ball?" He repeated, "Why a ball? And we are not properly dressed…"

It amused his nephew how something so trivial could upset his uncle, "It doesn't matter. The Avatar will be there, and that's where we'll capture him."

"Ah…" His uncle mused, "but should we go to a high-end event and cause mayhem? How will we even get in?"

"We don't need invitations!" His nephew yelled, "I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, I will go wherever I please."

The former general sighed, knowing very well what was going to happen if Zuko just invited himself to a party. "Nephew, we must play it safe. We should sneak in and then take the Avatar out, it'll be simple as that and we don't have to worry about fighting our way out of there."

He listened, which was a start but Iroh wasn't too sure if his nephew would go with the idea. Zuko stood in the middle of the road, gritting his teeth while his eyes absently looked the ground. "Fine. Charging in there does sound problematic and there will be security due to the rich civilians present. Also, I don't want it to be revealed it is the Avatar since people aren't aware who he is. I'll go along with the idea."

Proud, and relieved, Iroh nodded before clapping his hands. "Now, let's go shopping!"

Shopping would get the old man excited. It was something he loved to do, Zuko knew that firsthand with all the junk he would buy whenever they stopped anywhere the past two years. It was hard to believe that another year was almost gone but at least his journey to regained honor was almost over.

"Prince Zuko," A helmsman called him, making the young prince turned to look at him with unbridled curiosity. "The helmsman found an inn we can stay in. If you'd like, we will escort General Iroh for shopping while you stay there."

Although Zuko liked to keep a close watch so that the animated old man didn't spend gold like crazy, he wasn't in the mood to be smacking things out of his hand. A bed and some prepping for tomorrow did sound more peaceful. "All right, and don't allow him to go spending crazy." He warned, the men bowing as the order was received.

He was escorted to the rather extravagant inn called Shaanxi. They made sure he had the most expensive suite, which wouldn't be up to his standards anyway since he was a prince but the staff were going to make sure that he was pleased every single minute that he was there. It was rare that Fire Nation royalty decided to stay in Gaoling.

Upon reaching the doors, he noticed a group of children circling around a female. She seemed wary of them but they seemed entirely interested in her. Her clothes weren't something he had seen before either; a powder blue, long flowing dress that looked like it was made of silk and that short shirt-like coat she wore on top of it.

Something about it was very peculiar. He decided not to think much on it, continuing his way back into the inn and escorted to his room.

**ooo**

Zuko trained himself all morning until evening, his muscle were a bit sore but nothing that could stop him from capturing the Avatar. "Ooh, I always loved parties." Iroh hummed as he was fixing his Daopao: a full-length, green robe that was inches above his feet with side slits beginning below the waist. The side panels at the slits concealed the undergarments beneath them. The sleeves were long and long wide with a belt. The collar was a bright yet easy on the eyes gold. "You look dashing, Prince Zuko."

It was obvious his nephew had a nasty taste in his mouth from wearing Earth Kingdom colors instead of the Fire Nations black, red, and gold. Never in his life did he think he would have to discard his noble colors to put on traditional Earth Kingdom ones. His uncle moaned and moaned about how it was to show respect to the people, but Zuko did not intend to earn their respect. Why should he have to? He only wanted one thing and with that, he would leave.

"Whatever, let's get going before I burn these clothes." Iroh chalked up Zuko's behavior for him being only fifteen. His birthday was in another month, and so he hoped he would mature some more by then.

Leaving the inn, Zuko only took a handful of his helmsman. He already told them to make his presence known at the ball, and he could hear people gossiping about it. Why would he show up is what bothered them. Deciding not to bring too much attention to himself, he settled for a carriage ride to the estate of where the ball would be held.

"The Avatar is about to be in my hands… I can't believe it." Zuko spoke his thoughts out loud to his uncle, "It almost feels like I've been out at sea for forever but now I can finally go home. I can probably spend my birthday there too."

Of course, Iroh was glad to see Zuko happy. It felt such a long time since he had seen his nephew happy, genuinely. He was only happy when he thought of his home and for him to go back with honor and praises, it would definitely heal his broken heart. Despite that, Iroh knew that not everything in life was handed so easily. What if that person that fell from the skies was not the Avatar? His nephew would just be hurt again and did not wish for it to happen.

"Whatever happens," Iroh sighed, "just know that you must remain strong."

Amber eyes glanced in his direction as their bodies slightly shook as the carriage wheels rolled again the cobblestone ground in the area. Zuko was sure that his uncle was trying to convince him not to have his hopes or expectations to hide, and he sure enough understood.

The carriage ride was short and once the doors were open for them, Iroh was helped out first and then Zuko behind him. Helmsman gathered around them as the Earth Kingdom guards looked at them wearily; invitation shown, the guards looked at one another before stepping aside to let them through the main gates.

"Wow, it looks really grand." complimented Iroh as the sound of music began to fill the air. The atmosphere was delightful, well, it was until they walked in. Everyone stopped and stared, mostly with obvious expression of hatred and fear.

Iroh still smiled despite the hostility in the auras of the Earth Kingdom's most opulent people, even trying to warm his way with casual conversation and friendliness. His charm did help yet many people were too cautious, especially knowing that the person who adorn such a kind smile had destroyed the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

Zuko lurked through, his eyes searching for anyone with what he would think make them be the Avatar. No one was bald or wore robes of a monk, the last thing he remembered of the Avatat was that they were a male and from the Air nomads, that is if he was still alive through the genocide. They had to be, at least Zuko was counting on it because his father would never send him on an aimless search for a person that could not be found.

As he stood, his amber eyes observing the many faces within the large ballroom, he was bumped into. He took a step to catch himself, arms out as his eyes were slightly wide. Frustrated, he quickly turned to his feet and saw the face of the girl he had seen earlier.

Her eyes, a warm shade of blue were, staring at him with surprise. It was odd for someone of pale skin as hers to have such color eyes. However, he couldn't be too curious of her origins since he was too annoyed by her inability to walk without watching where she was going. "I believe you owe me an apology."

"A-Ah," She stuttered, "sorry." She apologized immediately, bowing slightly. "I… I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing. I never did well with parties…"

"I didn't ask if you did." He retorted, looking away from her and back in the crowd.

In a sense, she felt quite perplexed by his attitude but try to chalk it up that maybe he wasn't feeling all the well. Feeling as if she would further agitate him, she began to walk away but he grabbed her forearm, his fingers digging into her arm. "Do you know where the Avatar is?"

"The Avatar?" He could tell how confused and surprised she sounded, which only guaranteed she hadn't seen them. "You mean, Avatar Aang?" His eyes widened upon her words, his head whipping towards her.

"Air nomad? He should be quite old for his age." Zuko continued on, "Have you seen him? Is he here?"

"Uh, no. I haven't seen him and he's not here." She answered.

"Then… who was the person who fell from the sky?" He further interrogated.

Blinking a few times, she laughed albeit nervously. "That was, uh… Well, that was me."

"You fell from the sky?"

"Yeah…"

"But how if you're not the the Avatar?"

"Even I don't know how that happened."

Zuko sighed, angry that the person he believed to be the Avatar wasn't them but he wasn't all too angry due to the fact that this girl knew who the Avatar was, even knowing his name. The back of his mind wanted to believe she was lying, trying to derail him so that she wouldn't be captured but everything wasn't adding up. He knew for a fact that the Avatar had to be an old man and she certainly was not one. "How do you know the Avatar? How did you even know his name?"

"Uh, well, you see…" As she was about to answer, a woman had placed her hand on her shoulder, alarming her but calming her upon seeing who it was. "Lady Xiang."

The prince wasn't too enthused by the woman's interruption, "She and I were discussing important matters."

"I'm assuming those manners, of course, pertain the Avatar?" questioned Xiang, which the girl was surprised she knew. "Mirai, there's someone I'd like to meet. Prince Zuko, I'll return her to you soon."

The shock on her face came in waves, growing more grander each second she soaked it in. "W-Wait, Lady Xiang! Did you just say Prince Zuko?!"

Xiang's eyes widened in bewilderment of the girl's sudden attack to the prince, she grabbed both his hands pressed herself closer against him, her face merely inches away from his. "M-Mirai!"

"I'm such a huge, huge fan of yours! Oh my Spirits! I can't believe I'm meeting Lord Zuko."

Confused and uncomfortable, Zuko moved his head back some to gain some distance despite her strong grip. "Lord… Zuko?"

"Uh, oh yeah… You're not Lord Zuko yet. You're just Crown Prince Zuko, right now. It's… 98, right? So, yeah, you're still looking for Avatar Aang." Mirai mumbled needlessly, trying to gather her thoughts together. "But this is still amazing!"

"Is she mental?!" Zuko questioned, the woman growing concerned as all eyes were now on the two teenagers as Zuko pushed the girl away from him, almost acting as if she was a wild fiend on the prowl.

It was then she realized her fangirl behavior, her face flushing red and her hands on her face as she threw a tantrum. "Oh no, oh no! I made a fool of myself." Despite this supposing to being in her head, she said them out loud, further embarrassing herself.

Xiang brought Mirai close to her, the girl further sulking over her behavior. "She's in hysterics due to her fall. She's talking rather nonsensically and she gets that way whenever she doesn't get enough rest. Maybe you should go home, Mirai."

Something wasn't exactly adding up. Zuko stared at the retreating form of the girl as his uncle slowly approached him. "Nephew, did you find the Avatar?"

"No, I just found a strange girl instead. Claims the Avatar's name is Aang and he wasn't here, she's also the person who fell from the sky." Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to contain his anger. "Something doesn't seem right, Uncle. She even called me Lord Zuko."

Iroh rose a brow before looking in the direction he had seen the two females leaving off too. "Earlier, that woman's servants had spoke that, that girl can see into the future. She knew of Lady Xiang's pregnancy."

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Iroh remained unsure, humming as he stroked his long, gray beard. "Uncle, are you telling me that you do?"

"It's just very peculiar. She knows the name of the Avatar, she fell from the skies, and she called you Lord Zuko. What if she is from the future?"

Furrowing his brows, the prince tried to gather his thoughts in order to question if he could believe such a possibility. "She was the girl with the odd clothing, and did you notice that her eyes were blue? It's native to the Water Tribe but she doesn't look as if she's from the Water Tribe at all."

"Do you believe that she is mixed nation?" During this time, outwardly mixed raced people were rare and looked down upon by most.

"I need more evidence; I have to find out for myself. If she can see in the future then she knows where the Avatar is, and not just that, Father would want her as well." reasoned the prince before glancing towards his uncle, "We need to head towards Lady Xiang's estate."


End file.
